4 Day Intensive Skills Course – Traditional Round Baskets with Justine Burgess. Perfect for beginners and above.
8th - 11th May 2025 ( THURSDAY – SUNDAY)
£465 per person (plus £25 materials paid directly to Justine on the first day of the course)
- Includes homemade lunch and dessert each day and tea/coffee station)
10am – 4.30pm
Are you brand new to willow weaving or perhaps participated in 1 or 2 courses and wish you could spend more time practicing each element of the basket with expert tuition on hand?
This opportunity could be just what you are looking for!
An exciting collaboration from Ash Farm and West Wales Willows where you can immerse yourself in a brand new 4-day course in progressive weaving with tutor, Justine Burgess. Justine has recently been featured in Period Living (October 2024) and on BBC Gardeners World and is a member of The Basketmakers Association, Heritage Crafts, Plant Heritage and Find A Maker.
Hosted at Sian O’Doherty’s Ash Farm, nestled in beautiful Pembrokeshire and complete with alpaca’s, the course will focus on all aspects of a traditional round basket, from bases to side weaves and borders to handles.
The course will provide you with time to practice each element under Justine’s expert guidance, giving you the confidence to see your progression and take the skills forward in the future. Lots of hints and tips to improve you technique will be shared from Justine’s 10 years of willow weaving experience.
Your experience will include:
- 4 days tuition (10am – 4.30pm) from Justine, holder of the UK National Collection of Salix and professional weaver and tutor.
- Lunch and dessert every day as well as access to a coffee/tea station throughout the day
The course will cover:
- Basic willow cultivation, harvesting and storage
- Effective willow preparation
- Introduction to basic weaving tools
- Round bases – how to construct traditional stake and strand bases and things to consider when designing your base. You will have time to practice and make 3-5 bases and turn them into baskets (and other items) during the course.
- Sides – Adding uprights and exploring which traditional weaves work best. eg 3-rod wale, French rand and slewing
- Borders – you will spend a day looking at border types, when to choose which border and why. This can include the beautiful - Polish asymmetric border designed by Polish basketmaker Stanislaw Dziubak in 1997.
- Handles – we will explore 2/3 types of handles as well as adding a simple leather version
- Optional Homework to help you embed your skills further
- Includes all willow required for the course, use of tools and comprehensive list of willow and tools suppliers
- A dedicated, modern learning space at Ash Farm with a log burner for a cosy environment.
- Sumptuous homemade lunch prepared by Sian , and daily sweet treats with tea and coffee on tap.
- Optional Basketmakers Tool Kit available to pre-order – perfect to store in one of the baskets you will make.
- Accommodation is available to book onsite just a few feet away from the workshop studio where you will be weaving. Only two rooms available onsite so please contact Sian directly at
c2lhbm9kb2hlcnR5IHwgaG90bWFpbCAhIGNvbQ== if you would like to book one of them at £75 a night. Minimum of three nights.
Why not come a day earlier or stay after the course and explore the beauty of the mountains and coast of West Wales.
Also check out other Workshops in Narberth.
